Google Assistant is a virtual assistant developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile devices and smart home devices. Unlike Google Now, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversation.
The assistant originally debuted in May 2016 as part of the Google Allo messaging app, and voice-activated Google Home speakers. After an exclusive period on Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, it began deploying on other Android devices in February 2017, including third-party smartphones and Android Wear, and released as a stand-alone application on the iOS operating system in May. Along with the announcement of software development tools in April 2017, Assistant has been, and is, expanded to support a wide range of devices, including cars and smart home appliances. Assistant functionality can also be upgraded by third-party developers.
Users primarily interact with Google Assistant through natural sound, even when keyboard input is also supported. In the same nature and manner as Google Now, Assistant can search the Internet, schedule events and alarms, adjust hardware settings on user devices, and display information from user's Google account. Google has also announced that Assistants will be able to identify objects and collect visual information through device cameras, and support purchasing products and sending money, as well as identifying songs.
At CES 2018, first smart-assisted smart display (smart speakers with video screens) was announced, with a release planned for mid 2018.
Video Google Assistant
History
Google Assistant was unveiled during the Google developers conference on May 18, 2016, as part of the opening of Google Home smart speakers and Allo's new messaging app; Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained that Assistant is designed to be a two-way conversation experience, and "an ambient experience that reaches across devices". Later that month, Google commissioned Google Doodle leader Ryan Germick and hired former Pixar animator Emma Coats to develop "a bit more of a personality."
Platform expansion
For system-level integration beyond the Allo and Google Home apps, Google Assistant was originally exclusive for Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. In February 2017, Google announced that it has begun enabling access to Assistant on Android smartphones running Android Marshmallow or Nougat, starting in selected English-language markets. Android tablets do not accept Assistant as part of this launch. Assistants are also integrated within Android Wear 2.0, and will be included in future versions of Android TV and Android Auto. In October 2017, Google Pixelbook became the first laptop to include Google Assistant. Google Assistant then comes to Google Pixel Buds. In December 2017, Google announced that Assistant will be released for phones running Android Lollipop through updates to Google Play Services, as well as tablets running 6.0 Marshmallow and 7.0 Nougat.
On May 15, 2017, Android Police reported that Google Assistant would come to the iOS operating system as a separate app. The information was confirmed two days later at a Google developer conference.
In January 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show, the first "smart display" supported by Assistant was released. Smart display is shown on the show from Lenovo, Sony, JBL and LG. This device has support for Google Duo video calls, YouTube videos, Google Maps instructions, Google Calendar organizer, smart camera recording view, in addition to services that work with Google Home devices. The device is planned for an early release in the summer of 2018, with the support of third-party developers coming later this year.
Developer support
In December 2016, Google launched "Actions on Google", the developer platform for Google Assistant. Actions on Google allow 3rd-party developers to create apps for Google Assistant. In March 2017, Google added a new tool to develop on Actions on Google to support game creation for Google Assistant. Originally confined to Google Home smart speakers, Actions on Google was available for Android and iOS devices in May 2017, at which time Google also introduced an app directory for an overview of compatible products and services. To provide incentives for developers to build Actions, Google announces a competition, where first place wins tickets to Google 2018 developer conference, $ 10,000, and walk-through Google campus, while second and third places receive $ 7,500 and $ 5,000, respectively, and Google Home.
In April 2017, a software development tool (SDK) was released, allowing third-party developers to build their own hardware that can run Google Assistant. It has been integrated into Raspberry Pi, cars from Audi and Volvo, and smart home appliances, including refrigerators, washing machines, and ovens, from companies including iRobot, LG, General Electric, and D-Link. Google updated the SDK in December 2017 to add some features that are supported only by Google Home smart speakers and previous Google Now Assistant apps.
Its features include:
- let third-party device makers incorporate their own "Actions on Google" commands for their respective products
- combines text-based interactions and more languages ​​
- allows the user to set an appropriate geographic location for the device to enable an improved location-specific query.
Maps Google Assistant
Interactions
Google Assistant, in the nature and manner of Google Now, can search the Internet, schedule events and alarms, customize hardware settings on user devices, and display information from user Google accounts. Unlike Google Now, however, Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, using Google's natural language processing algorithm. The search results are presented in a card format that the user can tap to open the page. In February 2017, Google announced that Google Home users would be able to shop fully with voice for products through Google Express shopping service, with products available from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Walgreens, PetSmart and Bed Bath & amp; After launch, and other retailers are added in the following months when new partnerships are formed. Google Assistant can maintain a shopping list; this was previously done in the Google Keep temporary storage service, but the feature was moved to Google Express and the Google Home app in April 2017, resulting in a severe loss of functionality.
In May 2017, Google announced that Assistant will support keyboards for typed typed feedback and responses, support object identification and collect visual information via device cameras, and support product purchases and send money. Through the use of a keyboard, users can view the history of queries made to Google Assistant, and edit or delete previous entries. The assistant warns against deletion, however, due to the use of previous inputs to produce better answers in the future. In November 2017, it becomes possible to identify the song currently playing by requesting Assistant.
At the annual I/O developers conference on May 8, 2018, Google SEO announced the addition of six new voice options for Google Assistant, one of which is owned by John Legend. This is made possible by WaveNet, a sound synthesizer developed by DeepMind, which significantly reduces the number of audio samples needed by voice actors to produce to create sound models.
Google Duplex
In May 2018, Google disclosed Duplex, an extension of Google Assistant that enabled it to have a natural conversation by mimicking human voices. Assistants can automatically complete tasks such as calling a hair salon to make an appointment, scheduling a restaurant reservation, or calling a company to verify the store opening hours. Although Duplex can complete most of its tasks completely independently, Duplex can recognize situations that can not be resolved and can signal to human operators to complete tasks. Duplex was created to speak in a more natural voice and language by combining speechlessness like fillers like "hmm" and "uh" and using common phrases like "mhm" and "gotcha", along with more human-like intonations and latency responses. Duplex is currently under development and will receive further testing during the summer of 2018.
Criticism
Following the announcement, concerns are made over ethical and social questions that artificial intelligence technologies such as Duplex give rise to. For example, human operators may not realize they are talking to a digital robot when talking to Duplex, which some critics find unethical or deceptive. Concerns over privacy are also identified, as conversations with Duplex are recorded for virtual assistants to analyze and respond. Privacy advocates have also raised concerns about how millions of sound samples collected from consumers are put back into virtual assistant algorithms, making this AI form smarter with every use. Although these features are individual to the user experience, critics are unsure about the long-term implications of giving "unprecedented access to the company of human patterns and preferences essential to the next phase of artificial intelligence," potentially causing AI to outsmart its creator.
While no mention of transparency was made when the technology was revealed, Google then responded in a statement saying, "We are designing this feature with built-in disclosure, and we will make sure the system is correctly identified." Google further adds that, in certain jurisdictions, the assistant will notify them on the other end of the phone that the call is being recorded.
Reception
PC World ' Mark Hachman gave a good review of Google Assistant, saying it was "a step above Cortana and Siri."
Supported devices
- Google Home
- Google Home Mini
- Google Home Max
- Android Lollipop and higher phones (Android 5.0) (with 1.4Ã ©, GB or higher RAM and 720p (HD) or higher resolution)
- Android Lollipop and higher tablets (Android 5.0)
- Android Go Phone
- iOS 10 and higher iPhone and iPad (via the free app)
- Wear smartwatch OS 2.0
- Google Pixelbook
- Nokia 8110 4G
- Jio Phone
- JBL Link 300
- Sony LF-S50G
- Zolo Mojo (from Anker)
- Panasonic GA10
- Onkyo G3
- TicHome Mini Mobvoi
- Insignia Intelligent Speaker
- Nvidia Shield set-top box
- iHome iGV1 smart clock
- LG ThinQ Smart speakers
- LG Smart TV (all 2018 models)
- Nest Cam IQ Indoor
- Volvo vehicles (select models with Census infusion system)
- LG ThinQ View smart look (coming in summer 2018)
- Lenovo Smart Display (enter summer 2018)
- JBL View smart view (coming in summer 2018)
- Sony smart screen (coming in summer 2018)
- Archos Hello is showing smart (next summer 2018)
- Sonos One (coming 2018)
See also
- Alexa
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cortana
- House automation (Smart House)
- Internet of things (IoT)
- Siri
- Smart devices
- Speech recognition
- Voice command device
References
External links
- Official website
- Google-Supported Assistant Languages ​​
- Google Assistant for Developers
- Google Assistant in iTunes Preview
- Google Assistant on Google Play
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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